Getting help for traumatic situations Published March 30, 2007 By Maj. John Jorgensen Behavioral Health Flight POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Pope recently stood up its Traumatic Stress Response Team. The Air Force recently developed this team and requires all bases with a medical treatment facility to have at least one traumatic stress response team available to help and educate those who may have had direct exposure to a potentially traumatic event. A potentially traumatic event is direct exposure to an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury. It could also involve a threat to one's personal integrity or learning about an unexpected or violent death, serious harm and threat of death or injury experienced by a family member or other close associate. The Traumatic Stress Response team is made up of three parts: Life Skills, Spiritual Support and Airman & Family Readiness Center. Each of these elements contributes to the ultimate goal, which is to enhance resiliency to potentially traumatic events. The TSR team consults with leaders regarding potentially traumatic events, prepares personnel who are likely to be exposed to potentially traumatic events and provides education, screenings, psychological first aid and referrals. Anyone can call the Life Skills Support Center for assistance under these circumstances and discuss the assistance available. The phone number is 394-4700. TSR team services are not medical services and do not involve medical or mental health record documentation. Following a potentially traumatic event, individuals can seek up to four one-on-one sessions with any member of the TSR team. These meetings are for the purpose of education and consultation, not for medical assessment or treatment. Although responses to a potentially traumatic event vary from person to person, typical responses include being on edge and restless; having exaggerated startle responses; irritability or outbursts of anger; sadness; fatigue; being preoccupied; trouble sleeping/nightmares and/or appetite disturbances. Something to keep in mind when dealing with traumatic stress is that these negative reactions are NORMAL reactions to abnormal situations. They should dissipate after about a month. Also, please keep your wingman in mind after exposure to a traumatic event and watch out for signs such as those listed here. Contact the Life Skills Support Center at 394-4700 or your chaplain at 394-2677 for assistance if you find that you or your wingman are having difficulty coping.